Porsche, BMW and the cutting edge of car design

I had the pleasure a few years back of touring the BMW Museum in Munich, home of the Bavarian Motor Works. My tour guide, Henning Wriedt, showed me around the museum, pointing out the 1957 BMW Isetta 250 Micro Car with its distinctive refrigerator-door front end. (The Isetta was designed by an Italian refrigerator manufacturer.)

Henning said he once took his date for a drive through the Bavarian Alps in his Isetta. The single-cylinder, 250 cc motorcycle engine had a helluva time climbing those mountain roads.

The reason for mentioning all this is that another German auto maker, Porsche, has shipped a handful of its finest designs to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta for an exhibition called, "The Allure of the Automobile." Among the gems on display at the show is a one-of-kind 1938/1939 Porsche Type 64, which is considered the precursor of all future Porsche designs.

As I sit in traffic looking at all the high-end cars, I notice that quite a few auto makers have copied many of the design elements pioneered by BMW and Porsche. A form of flattery, I suppose.

View a video of the Type 64 and the rest of the Porsche exhibition here.

I agree that many automakers get their inspiration for their new models from pioneer auto brands, especially BMW and Porsche which are known for their outstanding exterior outlook since they first emerged in the automobile market. They combine their very own unique features with the dazzling and prominent characteristics of other auto brands to create stunning end results. This has always been an ongoing development process not only for automakers, but for other product developers as well, like mobile phones and tech gadgets alike. - http://www.pmwltd.co.uk